Tug of War-Real Love
by LanieSullivan
Summary: This is a one-shot fluffy continuation of the "Tug of War' saga and the first M-rated tale in the series. If you haven't read "Tug of War" or you object to M-rated content, this one may not be for you.


Disclaimer: "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. I retain rights to the plot, but not the characters. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only. No infringement is intended.

Author's Note: This is just a little one-shot that picks up the day after "Tug of War" ended. It is the first M-rated tale in that series. If you haven't read it, some of the things in this will not make sense to you.

**February 13, 1988**

Lee and Amanda were led down the hall toward the same room in which they'd spent their wedding night a year ago, the bellboy carrying their luggage. As he unlocked the door for them, Amanda began to follow him into the room, but Lee clasped her hand and shook his head, then without a word, swept her majestically into his arms, carrying her into the room. Once fully in their room, he set her down on her feet, planting a soft kiss to her lips before attending to the bellboy, giving him a generous tip and nodding to indicate that he was no longer needed as he wanted to be alone with his wife. The young man took the hint and hastily exited the room, hooking the "do not disturb" sign on the doorknob and closing the door behind him.

The second he was gone, Lee took his wife in his arms and kissed her soundly, nudging her lips apart with his tongue and when she opened for him instantly, he swept his tongue inside, exploring the cavern of her mouth as his hands swept over her figure, still rounded from giving birth to their children mere weeks before. His hands lingered on her fuller hips as he pulled her tightly to him, determined to show her just how much he'd missed making love to her, and how much he still desired her. Remembering her insecurity at the Soviet Embassy's New Year's Eve party, he felt a great need to reassure her that he still loved her, still needed her and most definitely still wanted her as much as he ever did. More, even since it had been almost two months now since they'd made love.

They kissed for what seemed an endless amount of time, Amanda's arms locked around her husband's neck and his at her hips, the many nights of unfulfilled longing fueling their fire for one another. When oxygen became an issue, Amanda pulled back from their heated kisses and rasped out, "Wow," just as she had on their wedding night when he'd kissed her in a similar fashion immediately after the slow-as-molasses chambermaid had finally left them alone.

Lee chuckled as he held her, looked longingly into her eyes and said, "Déjà vu."

"Except with one major difference," Amanda said, "No annoying maid," they finished together and laughed. Amanda wrapped her arms tighter around Lee's neck and tugged on the back of his head to pull him in for another searing kiss, nipping at his lips and prodding at them with her tongue.

Lee let out a low groan as he moved his hands to her back and began to walk her backward toward the king-sized bed in which they'd consummated their marriage a year ago while they kissed fervently. When they toppled to the bed together their hands began more deliberately exploring each other, tugging at one another's clothing, both of them feeling the need to recreate the bliss they'd shared on their wedding night. Lee was the first to pull back. His heart pounding and his breathing erratic, he sat up and said, "We...uh...should slow this down."

Amanda, breathing heavily, nodded and said, "Yeah," as she sat up and tugged at her partially open blouse. "I want to call home anyway and check on the kids."

Lee sighed and said, "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Besides, we just left them an hour ago."

"I know," Amanda said, "But Matty and Jennie are so little and this is the first time that I've been away from them since they were born and Leah, she's...she's still so fragile."

"I know, but I trust your mother to look after them. She can handle them for one day without us. She's a good mother. After all, she raised you, didn't she?"

"I know, but-"

Lee placed a finger to her lips to silence her protests and said, "No, Amanda, the kids are fine. Your mother knows where we are and you know that she'd call if anything major came up. Aside from your mother, the little ones have two adoring, very protective big brothers looking after them too. I know you're a good mother and you always want to make sure you babies are taken care of. That's just one of the many things that I love about you, but tonight is just about us, okay?"

"But Leah-" Amanda still argued.

"-is not as fragile as you think she is. We just talked about this last night. Dr. Pfaff says she's making some great progress, she's doing well in school, she has friends now, something that she was deprived of in the way her mother dragged her all over hell's half-acre."

Amanda sighed and said, "I know all that, but still, it's only been eight months since she was nearly strangled, since her mother was killed...since..."

"And for that last six of those months, she's been calling you, "Mommy," Lee reminded her. "You've been more of a mother to her in the past eight months than Candice was in the first four years of her life."

Amanda smiled and said, "You know, the same could be said about you and the boys. You've been there so much more for them than Joe has been."

"Hey, Listen," Lee said taking her hands in his and looking into her eyes. "We didn't come here tonight to talk about the past or our exes or even the kids. We came here to have just one night together away from everything, with no teenage boys thundering up and down the hall, no babies waking us up in the middle of the night demanding to be fed, no five-year-old jumping in bed with us after a bad dream, no phone calls with Billy on the other end to tell us there's yet another threat against this country or KGB agents who want us dead..."

This time, Amanda put a finger to his lips to silence him, "Okay, I get it," she said.

At still seeing a thoughtful look on her face, he said, "Would you rather go home and just wait until the kids go to bed?"

"No, you're right. We made plans to just spend the night alone together," she said as she kissed his softly and then slid off the bed.

"Hey, where to you think you're going," Lee said as he rose from the bed and reached for her, but sighed when she scampered out of his reach.

"You just keep your distance, Buster," Amanda said holding up one finger. "I don't want a repeat of our wedding night."

"No?" Lee said his eyes dancing in amusement. "I thought that was what this whole thing was about and it _has_ been two months."

"Well, it wouldn't have been if you hadn't fallen asleep on me last night," Amanda countered waving a scolding finger at her husband. "I got my release from the doctor _yesterday_. For all your talk about "an even half-dozen" you sure weren't up for giving it a try last night."

"Well, I am _up_ for it tonight," Lee said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He grasped her by the waist and pulled her against him to demonstrate just how "up" he was.

"So, I see," Amanda said in a low voice, just before she wriggled out of his embrace, then pushed one finger into his chest and continued, "But you just keep your shirt on."

"Funny," Lee said indicated his half-open shirt. "I could have sworn a few minutes ago, you wanted me out of my shirt."

"Oh, I do, but not just yet. When I said I didn't want a repeat of our wedding night, I meant that a year ago, I had this perfect little something to wear for you that I never got to and this time..." She trailed off as she picked up her overnight bag and held it up.

"Didn't you once tell your good friend, Penny, that it can be better without the sexy nightgown," he teased.

Amanda's eyes widened, "How did you know that?"

"Oh, you know, we have our ways," Lee said, his eyes alight with merriment. At the stern look Amanda gave him he laughed and said, "I was outside that window for a lot longer than you knew about."

"You were eavesdropping on us," Amanda said incredulously.

"Hey, I was just doing my job and I arrived just in time to hear you talking about how you used to have this sexy nightgown..." He said with a smirk. "I had to hear the rest."

Amanda laughed and said, "Well, how about instead of hearing about it, I give you a little demonstration?" and without giving him a chance to respond, she made a beeline for the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind her.

Lee sighed, walked toward the table and chairs in the room, finished the job Amanda had started on his shirt, draped it over a chair and reached for the bottle chilling in an ice bucket on the table, quickly opening it and pouring two glasses. He set them down on the table, toed off his shoes, and reached for his own bag. Unsure, of how long his wife would be, he stripped off his normal clothes as quickly as he could, dressing for bed and was just cinching the belt on his silk robe when he heard the door open behind him. Picking up the glasses, he turned to face his wife and his breath caught in his throat at the vision in front of him. Amanda was standing before him in a black satin and lace peignoir set that accentuated her curves in all the right places. He let out a low whistle.

Amanda smiled at him and said, "So, I take it you approve."

"Oh, yes," Lee said as he slowly approached her holding out one of the glasses.

"Lee, I can't drink, not while I'm still nursing the babies," Amanda protested.

"I know," Lee said. "It's sparkling cider. I made sure the hotel would have it ready for us when I made our reservation."

"Oh, that was really very sweet of you," Amanda said, touched by his thoughtfulness as she took the offered glass, "But just because I can't drink, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't."

Lee shook his head and said, "Amanda, I'm fine with not drinking. Besides, I don't want anything clouding the first night we've had truly alone together in months. So, with that thought in mind, what should we drink to?"

"Well, I was just thinking about our conversation from last night about how much we've been through together in our first year of marriage and..."

"...and coming out stronger on the other side?" Lee finished for her.

"Yeah," Amanda said with a smile.

"I was thinking about what you said after that about surviving all of that together is what real love is all about."

"To real love?" Amanda said holding up her glass.

"To real love," Lee repeated with a smile as they clinked their glasses together and drank. Lee slid his free hand to his wife's waist and said, "I really like your outfit here."

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm," he murmured as he lightly nuzzled her neck.

Amanda took his glass from him, set both glasses down on the nightstand next to the bed, then turned to him, eyed him appreciatively and said, "I like yours too. Blue is definitely your color," She took in the sight of him in his royal blue robe, belted loosely around his waist, his muscular chest partially exposed in a vee-shape. She planted a soft kiss to the exposed skin there, then took both of his hands in hers and led him back to the bed.

Once there, Lee took over, released her grip on his hands, moving them to her hips, then to her waist under her satiny robe, then trailed his hands further up lightly skimming the side of her breasts before pushing the robe from her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor behind her.

Never one to be passive, Amanda tugged at the belt of his robe, loosening it, then ran her hands up his taut abs, to his well-muscled chest, then slipped her hands beneath the robes lapels, exposing him nearly fully to her lustful eyes. She then ran hands back down the way she'd started, until she reached his hips, all the while looking up into his eyes watching his reactions to her touch, delighting in the sight of his eyes darkening with desire. At not feeling the normal elastic that she expected to find at his hips, she glanced down and said, "What's this?"

"Ooh, this," he said as he turned slightly to the side to give her a better look. "Velcro, the lady at the store recommended it. Said it was the latest thing. Easier access, she said," he explained to her, his eyes alight.

"I'll bet she was picturing you in it when she said it," she teased, "Probably even flirted with you a bit, maybe even imagined herself being the one to undo these little things." Amanda knew how attractive and charming her husband was and how many women were envious of the fact that he'd chosen to spend his life with her.

"Well, if she did, I didn't notice," Lee said as he cupped Amanda's face in his hands, and then whispered to her, "My thoughts were only on you and what I wanted you to do to me." He then captured her lips with his own, hooked his fingers beneath the straps of her gown, dropping it the floor, leaving her in only her panties and lowered her to the bed, positioning himself beside her as he ran his hands up her long legs, stopping her hips, startled by what he felt there. "What's this?" he teased repeating her words.

"Well, you're not the only one who got a tip about the latest thing," Amanda said with a giggle as she pulled him back to her running her hands up his chest again, thumbing his nipples into hardness. She reveled in the low groans her husband emitted at her touch, a sense of satisfaction washing over her at the thought that while other women may want him, he was here in her arms, wanting only her.

"I love you," Lee whispered as he lay beside her, capturing her lips in another kiss and clasped one hand with hers linking their fingers together as he lightly skimmed his other hand down her side. They moaned against each other as their kisses and touches became more passionate, their explorations of each other's bodies turning from loving caresses to heated groping designed to bring each other closer to the edge. Lee broke their kiss, rolled his wife onto her back and began trailing kisses down her body, from her lips to her neck, suckling at the tender pulse point there knowing just how excited that particular spot made her.

"Lee," Amanda sighed as she squirmed beneath her husband losing herself in the feelings his touches and his kisses invoked. She clutched his shoulders for a moment, before running her hands down his back to his bottom and gripped it tightly delighted when he let out a low groan of approval.

Lee worked his mouth downward toward the valley of her bosom, pausing at the year-old scar there, placing a tender kiss to it, gazing at her ripe, rounded breasts, "Off-limits," he said with a nod.

"Just for now," Amanda said as she raised one hand to run it through his hair.

Lee lowered her mouth to place a soft kiss to the mound of each breast before working his way down her chest to her stomach, laving the fading stretch marks with his tongue. "Beautiful, " he muttered against her still-rounded abdomen.

"Fat," Amanda argued.

"No," Lee said still in awe of her and everything that she'd endured to bring their children into the world, mesmerized by the changes it had brought about in her body. "Beautiful..." he placed a kiss to her stomach, "curvy..." he said with another kiss, " and damn sexy," he said as he kissed her abdomen once again. He then looked up at her with a devilish grin and said, "Now, let's see how well this Velcro thing works," as he reached for the sides of her lacy panties and with a hiss of the Velcro pulling apart exposed her fully to him. He gazed at her for just a moment, before dipping his head and reaching out with his tongue to taste her.

"Oh," Amanda gasped at the touch of his tongue to her most sensitive region, her cries of pleasure only increasing as he delved in deeper, devouring her with his lips and tongue until she felt herself exploding with the pleasure he was giving her, soon writing beneath her husband's very talented mouth clutching his head to her.

He raised his head to look at her and with a dimpled smile, said, "Well, what do you know, it works."

Amanda laughed through her still heavy breathing, slapped at him playfully and said, "Let's see if yours works just as well," as she reached for him and when his hips were once again within her reach, she quickly tugged at the sides of his sexy boxers removing them from him leaving no more barriers between them. "Well, look at that," she said with a smile holding them up for him to see before tossing them aside and pulling him to her.

"That works, too," Lee said as he once again lowered his lips to hers, grasping one of her hips as he slowly sheathed himself in her. letting out a primal groan as he did so, feeling at home within her welcoming warmth as she locked her legs around him and tightly clapped his bottom with her slender fingers. "Amanda, I..." he choked out. He had wanted to take his time and make this last, but now that he was inside her again after a two-month hiatus he found his control slipping.

"I know," Amanda said as pushed her hips against his to pull him in deeper.

"Love you," Lee said as he softly caressed her face, the desire he saw in her eyes only spurring on his own as he began to move within her, driving himself as deep as he could, locking his eyes with hers, watching in fascination at her reactions to each thrust of his hips. No longer able to contain his need for her, he increased the pace, pumping into her harder and faster. After two months without her, he could no longer hold back and be gentle about it and her reactions told him that she didn't want him to, they was she bucked her hips against his driving up to meet him each time only encouraged him as they drove each other to the completion that they'd both been needing. He soon felt himself spiraling out of control as he emptied himself into her, leaving both of them shaking and sputtering for breath as they tumbled over the edge together and he finally collapsed atop her and they held each other tightly raining soft kisses on each other's necks and faces, whispering words of love as they came down from their high.

When he caught his breath, Lee rolled over onto his back, pulling his wife with him, cradling her against his side. She draped her arm over his chest, kissed him softly and said with a satisfied smile, "Happy Anniversary."

Lee chuckled and said, "Yes, it is." He kissed her, pulled her closer to lie on his chest, cupper her face in his hands and whispered, "Happy Anniversary, Mrs. Stetson." As they lay there together basking in the renewal of their romance, Lee reflected back on the events of the day. "You know, you're gonna' have to remind me to send your mother some flowers or something."

"Oh?" she said with a shake of her head. She couldn't resist teasing him. "I don't believe it. We've only been married a year and you're already wanting to send another woman flowers. Getting restless already?"

"Nope," Lee said with a shake of his head. "I want to thank her for the party she threw for us today and for keeping the kids for us so we could have this time together."

"The party was really sweet of her and the kids had a great time, but I think I much prefer having our own little private party," Amanda said contently as she laid her head on her husband's chest, stifling a yawn.

"Hey," Lee said as he wrapped his arms around her to rest his hands on her back, gently nudging her. "You giving up on me already?"He teased.

She lifted her head to look at him once more and said, "Well. It was a long day, with the party and all. Besides, we don't have to be back at home until tomorrow afternoon, so we've got all night." She chuckled a little as Lee also tried to stifle a yawn. "See? I'm not the only one who's tired."

"Okay, okay, I admit it. It was a long day. The kids kind of wore us out," Lee said.

"And we kind of wore each other out," Amanda said with a mischievous smile.

"So, we did," Lee replied as Amanda laid her head back down. "You know, even though it's tiring looking after our family, I wouldn't change a minute of it. After all the losses I suffered before I met you, I finally have what I've wanted my whole life, a real home, a real family and our life together is only going to get better from here on out. Don't you think?" When the only reply was Amanda's soft snoring, Lee chuckled softly as he held his wife and soon drifted off into a peaceful sleep, the nightmares of his past now a distant memory.


End file.
